NCAA BK

Villanova 83, Monmouth (NJ) 56

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. (AP)

Villanova has one more test before the calendar turns to a new
year and Big East play begins.

Although there is still much to iron out with these rebuilding
Wildcats, four victories in a row with the likely possibility of a
winning streak headed into the league schedule isn't such a bad
thing.

Either way, coach Jay Wright will take it.

JayVaughn Pinkston had 16 points and James Bell added 15 as
Villanova defeated Monmouth 83-56 on Saturday night. The Wildcats
(8-4) will close out 2012 vs. New Jersey Institute of Technology on
Friday.

''We're getting better,'' said Wright, who preached patience as
Villanova lost four of five earlier in the year. ''And we have the
potential to get better from here. But there's still a lot of room
for improvement.''

It didn't seem like it in front an energized home crowd of 3,898
fans. Villanova placed four in double figures in scoring, including
Tony Chennault (11) and Darrun Hilliard (10), and the Wildcats
finished with 17 assists and 12 steals.

''His team is getting better,'' Monmouth coach King Rice said.
''Their chemistry is awesome. They are a fun team to watch, but
they are not a fun team to prepare for.''

Andrew Nicholas had 16 points and Marcus Ware finished with 12
for the Hawks (5-7), who fell to 0-9 lifetime vs. Villanova. The
teams also met in the 2006 NCAA tournament in Philadelphia in a
matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 16 seeds. Villanova won that game
58-45.

''Monmouth plays hard, and you can really see that King is
setting a tone for that program,'' Wright said. ''I thought we were
tentative against them in the first half. In the second, it was a
matter of our size taking over.''

Bell added five rebounds and a block in 29 minutes as the
Wildcats won by their largest margin of the season. Villanova
outrebounded Monmouth on the defensive side of the glass 24-17.

''We just tried to play our game,'' Bell said. ''We know if we
stick to our core values and principles, we'll get the results that
we want.''

The game marked the second time in three years that the Wildcats
played on this small Jersey Shore campus in a region where several
Villanova alumni live. Two seasons ago, the Wildcats defeated
Monmouth 76-36 here.

This time around, the Hawks ran out of gas late, committing 23
turnovers and 21 fouls along the way.

''They're a Big East school. They are a bigger, stronger
group,'' Rice said. ''They have a higher level group.

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